Labour leader to accuse David Cameron of letting down young jobseekers
competing with migrant workers for jobs in an upcoming speech

British technology companies are recruiting more workers from abroad because the Coalition has failed to equip British youngsters with the skills needed to compete with immigrants, Ed Miliband will say in a speech.

The Labour leader will accuse David Cameron of letting down young British jobseekers who are competing with migrant workers for jobs.

Information Technology firms should also do more to train up Britons instead of hiring from abroad, he will suggest.

Mr Miliband will highlight figures that he says show the number of apprenticeships in information technology have fallen, even as the number of foreigners entering the UK to work in IT has risen.

Speaking to technology executives in London on Tuesday, Mr Miliband will say that ministers and the IT industry should do more to support British youngsters to fight for hi-tech jobs.

“We hear a lot from David Cameron about the global race. But the truth is that he is letting down Britain's businesses and our young people,” Mr Miliband will say.

“IT apprenticeships have fallen from 18,520 to 13,750 in the last year alone, leaving businesses having to recruit workers from abroad.”

He will add: “Businesses need to be able to recruit talent and plug the skill gaps by hiring from overseas. But both they and government have a responsibility to ensure that in the future we have the skills needed for Britain to succeed in the future. “

Mr Miliband’s speech comes after Mr Cameron last month said that the country must “say No” to foreign labour by boosting the skills of British youngsters.

More education and welfare reforms are needed to ensure Britons can compete with newcomers, the Prime Minister said.

Migrants are filling a fifth of jobs in key industries oil and gas extraction, aerospace manufacturing and engineering because of a lack of skilled British graduates, a Government-backed report said last week.

Amid public concern about the number of foreign workers in the UK, Labour has promised to make British companies do more to hire Britons. A Labour government would require employers to hire an apprentice for every foreign worker they hire, the party says.

“Nothing will determine Britain's future more than the skills of our young people,” Mr Miliband will say.

“Those skills are the route to higher-paying jobs and to providing business with the talent they need to compete in the world.”

The Labour leader will also announce Maggie Philbin, the former Tomorrow’s World presenter, will lead a Digital Skills Taskforce aimed at closing gaps in the British workforce’s skills.

Last week, research from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, a think tank, found that recruiting skilled foreigners allows companies to become more efficient and expand their businesses.

Some business leaders have defended their use of foreign labour, arguing that migrant workers often have skills and a willingness to work hard lacking in some of their British counterparts.